Thursday, December 8, 2016

This post contains affiliate links. To find out more about these links, read my disclosure.

Reading is one of my favorite hobbies, and one of the best parts about this time of year is all of the holiday books! No matter how old you are or no matter what kind of books you like, there is a Christmas read out there for you.

In this blog post, I'm going to share some links to different Christmas books with you. These books make great reads for this time of year or they would also make great Christmas gift ideas. Check them out!

Monday, December 5, 2016

This book is for new writers, musicians, filmmakers, artists and anyone who has ever asked questions like “How can I become more creative?” or, “How can I get more ideas?” or “How can I focus on my thoughts and just let them flow?”

If you’ve ever struggled with a problem or challenge in your personal or professional life and thought, “I can’t do this, I’m not creative enough”, this book will help you.

I was thrilled when Bryan Collins contacted me and asked me if I would like to read and review his new book. Creativity is a trait that I am very interested in and I assumed that this book would inspire me to be more productive and focused with my creativity so that I could achieve more of my personal goals.

And while it's never safe to assume (you know what they say about assuming), I was right!

I would recommend this book to you if you enjoy reading about creativity, habit building, and want to increase your create output that you send out into the world. Bryan uses his own experiences to help demonstrate his points and uses points that are helpful to just about everyone, not just writers.

I also appreciated the fact that Bryan used pop culture examples (like talking about Patti Smith and her journey from spoken word poet to musician) and quotes at the beginning of the chapters. I found them incredibly interesting (I am a quote lover, after all) and also inspiring.

The tips in this book are realistic (like breaking down your goals into sizable pieces, so that you can work on them bit by bit, and don't quit your day job right after you start), while also being relatable. Bryan says that one of the hardest parts is starting, and I feel that way sometimes too.

If you're a creative soul looking for some motivation or some inspiration, check out this book! Not only is it helpful, but it's also a very fascinating read.

Saturday, December 3, 2016

Good evening and Happy Friday! Today marks the third day of December and I am quite happy about that. I'm not so happy about the reports of possible snow for next week, but that's ok. We'll see what happens.

Accomplishments for November:

Handmade Christmas Gifts: Exhibit A

The other week when we were bowling, Pat asked me if I would make him a Christmas ornament. I wound up having two ideas that I really liked so I made him two.

One is a standard Christmas ball that I swirled blue and white paint in, because he's a Penn State alum and big football fan. The other is a clay ornament of his roommate's cat! Haha. While I was growing up my Mom always gave us a Christmas ornament every year that had to do with our hobbies or interests and so I wanted these ornaments to have something to do with him.

Those Pesky Things Called Books...

I've been pretty bad about reading lately. Oops. But I'm going to try to be better this month. I have a couple of books that I really need to read and review here on the blog.

Finishing Projects

"Why can't you finish what you've started? Why can't you try and understand?" -Motion City Soundtrack

I miss Motion City Soundtrack. Why did they have to break up?

Anyway, I feel like I've been in a good place as far as my productivity lately and I also feel like I'm in a good place as far as finishing projects. Yay! I'm going to keep up my writing and editing schedules and see where that takes me in the new year. If anything, it's nice to have a distraction from worrying about my day job/stressing about the future.

Friday, December 2, 2016

I've been working on these cute little pins for the past couple of weeks and it's finally the right time for their big reveal. These I Love Snail Mail Pins/Brooches are the perfect little gift to give to your pen pal, or even purchase for your snail mail loving self.

I would love to wear one on my sweater, or maybe place one on my backpack or shoulder bag. Keep your eyes posted because I might be having a giveaway soon!

Read!

It's Christmas, and Courtney Kurtz is excited for her family to be spending the holidays at Shady Knoll Campground, their favorite vacation spot from when she was a kid. She imagines a relaxing holiday of hot chocolate, playing in the snow, and ice skating on the lake. But in reality she is faced with family drama, a secret crush being revealed, and trying to help save the vacation spot that she's always loved.

Welcome!

Welcome! My name is Marian Elizabeth and this is my blog about reading, writing, and creativity. I'm so glad you're here!